[Discuss] Ubuntu 22.04 apt-get problem

[bctill]

On 2023-03-31 06:09, Peter Willis wrote:
> apt-cache rdepends  libc6
> 
> ....will give you a list of packages that have it as a dependency.
> 
> Not all of those will have any issue.  libc is used almost ubiquitously 
> on the system.
> 
> Maybe it's just that notepad applicatioopn. Use Kate instead of 
> notepad.
> 
> 
> 
>> On Mar 31, 2023, at 00:08, bctill <bctill at ece.uvic.ca> wrote:
>> 
>> Hi Znoteer --
>> 
>> A few days ago Peter Willis suggested downgrading libc6.  I was 
>> reluctant to do so, because I thought it must be there for a reason.  
>> Well, I couldn't think of anything else to try, so finally, in 
>> desperation, I held my nose and ran
>> 
>> $ sudo apt install libc6=2.35-0ubuntu3 libc-bin=2.35-0ubuntu3
>> 
>> and... it worked.  After that,
>> 
>> $ sudo apt install g++
>> 
>> succeeded.  HOWEVER: notepadqq NO LONGER WORKS.
>> 
>> I have no idea what else I broke by downgrading libc6 and libc-bin... 
>> how do I find out?
>> 
>> Regards,
>> -- Bernie.
>> 
>> On 2023-03-30 16:52, Znoteer wrote:
>>> Hi,
>>> More in-line below, but before that, are there any files in 
>>> /etc/apt/preferences.d/?
>>> On Thu, Mar 30, 2023 at 02:07:08PM -0700, bctill wrote:
>>>> Hi Znoteer --
>>> [snip]
>>>> Several people have suggested that I should dump Ubuntu and start 
>>>> over with
>>>> Debian, and I'm starting to think that this is very good advice.  
>>>> Just look
>>> Which one you use is your choice. I wouldn't switch simply because of 
>>> this, though. You could very well encounter similar problems using 
>>> Debian. I'm very happy with Debian, but it isn't perfect.
>>>> at all the "unattended upgrades" in the last month alone!  These 
>>>> just
>>>> happened in the background, without asking my permission.  Without 
>>>> even
>>> unattended-upgrades exists in Debian, too. You can disable it if you 
>>> like, or configure it in various ways. I use it myself, but if you 
>>> don't like it, I would recommend letting it at least install security 
>>> updates, unless you're plan on tracking that diligently yourself. And 
>>> if you do decide to track security updates manually, I'd highly 
>>> recommend that you subscribe to the "debian security annouce" mailing 
>>> list. As soon as a fix is availble for an insecure package, an email 
>>> is sent to that list.
>>> See (at least on a Debian system),
>>> /usr/share/doc/unattended-upgrades/README.md.gz
>>> /etc/apt/apt.conf.d/50unattended-upgrades
>>> $ man apt.conf
>>> $ man unattended-upgrades
>>> https://lists.debian.org/debian-security-announce/
>>> [snip]
>>>> Having said that, I have spent about an hour on the debian site, and 
>>>> I still
>>>> have no idea what files to download.  If I understand what I've been
>>>> reading, I can't download anything unless I first download and 
>>>> install a bit
>>>> torrent client.  Of course, there are dozens of those, and I have no 
>>>> idea
>>>> how to choose one...
>>> Debian prefers you use torrent or jigdo because it reduces the 
>>> bandwidth on their servers. But, you don't have to use either. If you 
>>> prefer wget, or curl, or a web browser, you can do that.
>>> If you have a good Internet connection, you can download an network 
>>> install CD which only has enough on it to create minimal system, then 
>>> adds the rest, and updates the minimal system as needed, over your 
>>> Internet connection.
>>> If you don't have a good connection, you can download a larger 
>>> installation image which includes more software to choose from right 
>>> off the image, without need for a good connection.
>>> A minimal install (netinst) image for a 64-bit Intel/AMD CPU is here: 
>>> https://cdimage.debian.org/debian-cd/current/amd64/iso-cd/debian-11.6.0-amd64-netinst.iso
>>> If you're using 32-bit cpu, or arm or something, see this page: 
>>> https://www.debian.org./CD/http-ftp/
>>> See also,
>>> https://www.debian.org./CD/faq/
>>> https://www.debian.org./releases/bullseye/installmanual
>>> https://www.debian.org./releases/bullseye/releasenotes
>>>> This is getting VERY frustratting.
>>> Welcome to system administration. I can't say anything other than, 
>>> expect more frustration and yak shaving. :)
>> 
>> _______________________________________________
>> Discuss mailing list
>> Discuss at vlug.org
>> http://vlug.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss_vlug.org
> 
> 
> _______________________________________________
> Discuss mailing list
> Discuss at vlug.org
> http://vlug.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss_vlug.org


Hi Peter --

Aha... rdepends.  Perfect.  Wow, what a long list... which, come to 
think of it, I should have expected.

I think you're right.  I suspect that Notepadqq is the culprit.  
However, it works again after a reboot, so maybe it's just overstating 
its case about libc6 version dependency.

Kate looks really very nice, thanks for the suggestion.  I think I'll 
take her for a test-drive.

Notepadqq is a Linux port of Notepad++, which I've enjoyed using for 
many years.  For me, it's an island of familiarity in a sea of novelty.  
Learning to work on Linux with an unfamiliar text editor would be like 
learning to write a foreign language with broken fingers.  Nonetheless, 
Notepadqq is much less mature than Notepad++, and Kate is native to KDE, 
so it seems like a very good option.

In any case, I've downloaded a Debian 11.6 ISO, and plan to install it, 
with KDE Plasma desktop, on another machine I have lying around here.  
After playing with both for a while, I will decide which one to proceed 
with.  I have a feeling that I will like Debian with KDE Plasma much 
better than Ubuntu with Gnome Desktop, but I don't want to pre-judge.

It's hard to fathom why people almost unanimously recommend Ubuntu.  
They say it's more like Windows, but that's a good-news/bad-news joke.  
The word on the street is that Canonical's increasingly Microsoft-like 
ways are alienating a rapidly-growing segment of their user base.  My 
own experience so far is that everything I disliked about Microsoft and 
Windows (after NT 5) is similar in Ubuntu and Gnome, and everything I 
liked is gone.  So Debian and Plasma will be an intgeresting comparison.

Thanks for the help.

Regards,
-- Bernie.